Yes, I know that some might call this a woodworking problem, some metal.
A few weeks ago I noticed that the miter bar for the miter gauge on my table saw was bent. There was a bow in it of about 3/16 of an inch over a 20 inch length. Its a steel bar, not aluminum, for an Accu-miter gauge.
I know that I've never dropped it or abused it, so I'm wondering how it bent. I find it hard to believe that a 30 degree F temperature variation over the course of some years would do this, and given what it took for me to bend it back, I know that I've never subjected it to that much punishment.
To bend it back, I had to put it in the tail vise on my bench between three pieces of drill rod, then crank down to bend it almost 1/2 inch the other direction. After
4 passes or so at this, I've got the bow down to about 1/16 inch, as measured by a good straightedge.Since others don't use my shop, any guesses what happened? Stress relief over 10-15 years of use?
Thanks, John